Kirkman's "Outcast" is a good follow-up to his long running Zombie serial

When I think of Outcast, what comes to mind initially is The Exorcist, that terrifying movie from the early 1970s about a young girl possessed by the devil.  I am also reminded of Bill Paxton's 2002 movie Frailty, although to a smaller extent.  Whatever this comic book series was influenced and inspired by, the result it has on its reader should be one and the same: a drama about one man's past experiences and struggles against a supernatural evil in a world that is very much like our own.  Add to the equation the obligatory priest who helps the protagonist in his quest to defeat the evil spirit that's clouding the minds and hearts of particular citizens in the small West Virginia town, and what we have is a horror tale that is a classic throwback to the countless exorcism movies that have preceded it.

Outcast: A Darkness Surrounds Him introduces us to Kyle Barnes, an everyman still tormented by ghosts from his past, in which his mother was possessed by an evil force that resulted in her death.    He's also traumatized by a recent separation from his wife and child due to an incident in which his daughter being possessed by a similar ominous spirit caused Kyle to nearly beat the young girl to death.  So now he spends his days in solitude and isolation, visited only by his sister Megan.  With the help of a wise and good-natured priest, Reverend Anderson, Kyle will try to use his special gift (his blood apparently has the ability to burn those who have been possessed) for the good of mankind.

Robert Kirkman does a great job of presenting us with a convincing brother-sister relationship that is free of cliches or otherwise redundant scenes.  Megan comes across as a real person who is authentically worried about her brother's secluded existence, and who truly wants him to come out of his shell and get past his recent personal struggles.  The story in general is engaging and tense, and I can only hope that it doesn't end up dragging the way Kirkman's The Walking Dead has for the past decade or so, clearly past its prime, having jumped-the-shark years ago.

The artwork by Paul Azaceta is very simple, yet effective.  His style is convincing in portraying the appropriate emotions that his characters are going through, showing the ability of being able to draw inner turmoil, shocking surprise, and even terrifying fear on the faces of Outcast's characters.  His illustrations are never a distraction, only an asset, to this tale that doesn't necessarily excel at any particular element, but stays consistent and fairly engrossing in its writing and artwork.  It is certainly a comic worth checking out, and a tale that I doubt will bore anyone.  In an ocean of numerous other mediocre comics in contemporary America, Outcast does not disappoint.
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